'Unique But Similar' is a new book, written by Andrew K. Shenton, that is devoted to comparing the cult classic TV series The Prisoner to other television programmes.

By concentrating on the period of TV history up to 1987, the year of The Prisoner’s 20th anniversary, Unique But Similar examines programmes that were made in an era before the series gained the kind of critical acclaim that it enjoys today and before it exerted the degree of influence that has been more characteristic of television in the last 25 years.

With chapters devoted to analysis of The Prisoner on the one hand and shows like Mission: Impossible, Blake’s 7, Children of the Stones, UFO and the original version of Doctor Who on the other, Unique But Similar will appeal not only to fans of The Prisoner and lovers of cult television, but also film and media students, and film historians.

We have taken a look at some similarities and also some differences between the new Prisoner and the 1967 original.

We have a set of 8 comparisons. You can see the first 4 here, register on the site to see all 8.

The return of Rover (the white blob) was one of the most fiercely debated issues for the new show. As we can see below Rover has moved from the seaside to the desert, still a frightening prospect for Number 6!